The Obama Administration posted a new fact sheet today on health care reform; it reiterates the President’s support of accelerating State Innovation Waivers and allowing states to apply for them in 2014. This is 3 years earlier than the currently scheduled date of 2017.
These waivers, as stipulated under the Affordable Care Act, will allow States to have the power and flexibility to innovate and find the health care solutions that work best for them, rather than being bound by one structure for all States. They will be able to test alternative ways of meeting the shared goal of making health insurance affordable and accessible to all Americans, including those living with pre-existing conditions.
State Innovation Waivers will grant States this flexibility as long as their policies:
- Provide coverage that is at least as comprehensive as the coverage offered through Exchanges – a new competitive, private health insurance marketplace.
- Make coverage at least as affordable as it would have been through the Exchanges.
- Provide coverage to at least as many residents as the Affordable Care Act would have provided.
- Do not increase the Federal deficit.
For more information, review the fact sheet, The Affordable Care Act: Supporting Innovation, Empowering States.
See our Health Care Reform section for information on how health reform affects Medicare and on the new CLASS Act (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports).
